Penn State makes a 'good start' in anti-abuse efforts, monitor says

In the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal, Pennsylvania State University has made a "good start" in its efforts to reform its athletics program, an independent monitor said Friday.

In the last four months, the university has trained nearly 10,000 people in recognizing and reporting child sex abuse, implemented policies on background checks for volunteers, and tightened security at its athletics facilities, monitor George Mitchell said.

But, he added, deadlines loom for several significant issues that remain unaddressed, such as the implementation of a code of conduct governing those who work for and participate in athletic programs.

"It is too soon to judge the ultimate result," Mitchell wrote. "But I believe that Penn State is off to a very good start."

University president Rodney Erickson pledged in a statement to continue those efforts over the next several months.

"While we recognize that there is much more to do, we're happy that Sen. Mitchell and his team recognize all that we have done," he said. "We are committed to continuing these efforts."

Penn State hired Mitchell, a former Democratic senator from Maine, in July and agreed to a five-year oversight plan as part of a binding consent decree signed with the NCAA, college sports' governing body, and the Big Ten Conference.

The agreement came as part of a package of crippling sanctions that also included a $60 million fine, a four-year ban on postseason appearances by the football team, and the voiding of 13 years of team wins.

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At the time, NCAA president Mark Emmert defended the sanctions as an appropriate response to one of the most painful "chapters in the history of intercollegiate athletics."

He handed down the punishments just weeks after an internal university investigation led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh concluded that several top administrators, including former president Graham B. Spanier, ignored abuse allegations against Sandusky, a former assistant football coach, for fear of damaging the reputation of the school's most profitable athletic team.

Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence for molesting 10 boys.

Spanier and two other former university officials are awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy, perjury, and endangering the welfare of children.

All have maintained their innocence and repeatedly challenged the conclusions of the Freeh report.

Emmert welcomed Mitchell's assessment Friday, saying he was pleased by the university's progress.

"Penn State has taken the first important steps necessary to ensure a culture of athletics integrity," he said.